Create Your Profile

After you log in to your Backstage Casting Account for the first time, create an Actor Profile in order to make full use of the Casting Tools. Here's how.

1) Click on "Casting" in the Navigation at the top of any page (next to the Backstage logo).

2) You'll be directed to a Casting Search Results page. The results you see here can be personalized. (We will discuss later in Search Casting.)

3) In the upper right corner, you'll see a gray-colored link that says "Create Profile." Click on it.

4) The next page is called "My Profile." Profiles have three parts: Basic Details, Experience & Skills, and Contact & Representation. Each has its own page.

5) Certain parts of these forms are required. The required areas are marked with a red asterisk (*) before the title.

NOTE: You can edit this information at any time. Fill in as much as you can at first, then fill in the rest later.

Basic Detail

General

1) With Profile Visibility, you decide whether to keep your profile hidden or make it available to everyone. We recommend keeping it hidden until you've uploaded your photos, videos, and resume. NOTE: Private profiles are still "live," just not included in search results -- so use some discretion.

2) Use Stage Name only if you work under a professional name that is different from your original name.

3) With a Profile URL, you can create a personalized link using your name. Be aware that some URLs may already be taken. Add your name or some other personalized identifier, without spaces, after the forward slash in the form field.

4) Zip Code is for your home address -- it tells Backstage where you are so we can help you find jobs in your area.

5) Tagline is a brief sentence that describes you; it could be a unique skill, a quote from a review, or a funny line. Taglines should be brief – one to two sentences at the most.

Headshots

1) To upload a Headshot, make sure you have a digital photo saved to your computer. Backstage supports JPEG, PNG, and GIF files.

2) Click on "Upload Photo." Select the image file on your desktop and click "open." The file will then upload to Backstage.com.

3) Name each photo in the blank field provided. If you choose, you can upload additional headshots by repeating the process.

4) After you have uploaded your headshots, make sure you indicate which photo is the "Main Headshot" by selecting the button next to your favorite image.

Video Reel

1) Backstage uses YouTube to post video reels to your Actor Profile.

First you need to upload a video to YouTube, and use the video's URL to add the video.

At this time, we are only allowing YouTube videos for a Video Reel. Vimeo, Veoh or other online video types are NOT accepted.

Audio Reel

3) After you've uploaded audio to SoundCloud, click "Share" next to the audio file on your Soundcloud page.

4) Copy the SoundCloud link URL into the SoundCloud URL field on your profile page. Give your reel a name in the "Voiceover Name" field.

5) Now click "Add Audio." A thumbnail image of the audio file should appear.

6) If you choose, you can upload additional audio files by repeating the process.

Resume

1) To upload your resume, upload the resume from the desktop of your computer. You can use a PDF, Word document, or plain text document file.

2) Once your resume is uploaded, give the file a name (eg "My Actor Resume").

Union Memberships

1) Under Union Membership, please check off ALL that apply.

Personal Attributes

2) Casting directors search our actor database. These details will help casting directors find you, so please make sure you fill them out correctly.

3) Use the sliding bar to estimate the range of ages for which you are a good fit.

4) Under Ethnicities, select all that you can easily play.

5) Include your gender -- we allow a choice of both Male & Female for actors who can portray either.

6) Under Body Type and Coloring, please be honest.

7) At the bottom of the page, click Continue to move to the next screen.

Experience and Skills

Here you should include your credits, skills, and training. You can add links to your website, your IMDB page, and so forth. You can also include "Career Highlights," such as awards you've received.

Fill in the information using the dropdown menus and the blank text fields. After each role, skill, or training or link has been entered, click the appropriate "Add .." link to save it to your profile.

If you make any mistakes, a credit can be edited by hovering your mouse over the credit and clicking on the Edit graphic that appears at right.

The roles and links will appear in the order in which you save them. If you need to change the order of credits, simply scroll over the left side of the credit line and a crosshair will appear. Drag the credit up or down the page, as needed.

Contact and Representation

On this page, you can define how casting directors can find you. Whether by Direct Contact, through Social Media, or via your Agent or Manager, that information is all added here.

1) Direct Contact allows you to set who can email you through Backstage. Check the boxes on whether (a) anyone who sees your profile can email you, or (b) your profile can be searchable via your email address within our database.

2) In Social Media, you can add your Twitter and Facebook accounts to your profile.

3) Fill in the contact information for your agent and/or manager's information in the final fields of your profile.

When you are finished, click on Save & View to see your completed profile. You'll notice that the URL will be the web address you created with your name (example: www.backstage.com/MerylStreep).

Your headshots, video and audio reels, and resume all appear on the left side of the page. In the lower left corner, you can share or tweet your profile, or copy the link to this page.